The £30m defender that could fill Liverpool's defensive void with Matip out for the season

A few days ago, my colleague Georgia Goulding offered up a very fine argument in favour of Liverpool ignoring the temptation to panic buy a replacement for Joël Matip, who will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament. That hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from suggesting possible January signings, however – and one suggestion, Wolfbsurg’s Maxence Lacroix, seems to be gaining some traction in the media.

Between Ibrahima Konaté, Joe Gomez, the emerging Jarell Quansah and a resurgent Virgil van Dijk – who looks like a different player compared to the seemingly faded giant of the early season – they seem to have the depth and manpower to cope, but if Jürgen Klopp doesn’t fully trust his current crop to get the job done, or isn’t convinced that they have enough depth without Matip, then it wouldn’t be a shock to see them make a move over the winter. And if they do want to bring a fresh body in, Lacroix looks like a good fit on paper.

Born in France, the 23-year-old former age-group international came through the ranks at Sochaux, a club who have spent much of the past couple of decades gently yo-yoing between the top two tiers of the French league. It isn’t the kind of club that spends too much time under the limelight, but he clearly impressed enough to catch the attention of Wolfsburg, who signed him on a four-year deal in 2020. Since then, he has become a nailed-on starter whose robust defending and expansive passing game have brought his qualities to a wider audience. Liverpool, if the reports are to be believed, are sat in the front row.

Able to play at right-back but more usually seen on the right-hand side of a back three, Lacroix has several strings to his bow but his physical capabilities stand out immediately. He’s 6’3”, powerfully built, well balanced and, perhaps unusually for a towering centre-half, very fast indeed, both over distance and from a standing start. He can cover huge swathes of ground effectively and will very seldom be beaten to a loose ball – a major attribute for a team like Liverpool who like to press high and gamble on leaving gaps in behind, especially on Lacroix’s side of defence. He would make an excellent covering player when Trent-Alexander Arnold bomb on down the flank.

He’s also got good judgement in the tackle and superb positional sense, which allows him to make nearly five successful clearances per game and contribute an average of three tackles and interceptions every 90 minutes, both very solid numbers for a player in a top European league. Given his height and strength it’s also no shock that he’s excellent in the air, and seldom comes off second best in an aerial duel. The Premier League’s more direct teams should not pose a problem for him.

Then there’s his ball-playing skills. Although technically sound, Lacroix isn’t the typical modern ball-playing centre-back. He doesn’t look to dribble very often and doesn’t carry the ball out from the back – instead he looks for direct balls to quickly bypass the opposing attacking line, trying to get play upfield as quickly as possible. But he’s far from a long-ball merchant, and has good vision and placement of his longer passes, with a 65% long pass completion rate and an 86% overall accuracy rate. He’s not exactly Andrea Pirlo in defensive form, but his direct and aggressive passing style should complement Klopp’s own methods nicely and helps him (and the team he’s playing for) to be press-resistant, an important quality in the modern game.

The Sun’s report on the rumours reckons that he’s available for £30m this winter, a relatively stiff price but not outside the realms of FSG’s bank balance. With Matip’s contract also expiring at the end of the season, he would also offer a long-term replacement should Liverpool decide not to extend the veteran’s current contract, although there are suggestions that Klopp wants to keep the Cameroonian around a little longer.

Whether Lacroix is a serious option for Liverpool largely hinges on whether they feel the need for a long-term alternative to Matip, and on whether they view Quansah as being ready to step up to the plate when the chances present themselves. If they think the 20-year-old is up to the task, then going in for Lacroix makes little sense, but only Klopp truly knows how he feels about the England Under-21 international’s progress this season. If he does feel that his remaining defenders aren’t up to the task of sustaining a title challenge, then perhaps Lacroix is exactly the player he needs. Liverpool could certainly do a lot worse.